Title
Drake’s Story
Name
Drake Wu
Place
Taipei, Taiwan
How are you sensing climate change?
Sunny, bright, tropical, beautiful & natural, with a liveliness of bustling markets in the night is how I’d describe Taiwan. My trip to Taiwan had me going to beaches, national parks, and museums but it was all exhausting. When leaving the airport I already felt the heat, consuming and strangling the skin on my body, with the bright sun burning its mark onto my open skin. Sweating was extremely common and temperatures of 38 degrees celsius and above every day and it felt completely different from Philadelphia’s hottest days. Even when traveling around Taiwan on my own and trying to take photos, I was unable to make a straight face because the Sun was so intense; I had sunburns that burned for weeks on my shoulders after a visit to the beach. The ocean beach was cool and as we got home it started to rain hard, with so much water on the streets that it was up to your ankles despite all the sewer systems in the city. The rain felt heavy, like extra weight was on my umbrella as rain pelted it relentlessly as I traveled home. The rain also made me realize how Taiwan was designed to counteract the weather, with many buildings having covers in front for shade, holes in the street along with sewers along the sidewalk to take in the rain, and air conditioning in every house/apartment along with bikes everywhere.
How do these changes make you feel?
It’s tiring and draining feeling the intense heat surround and choke me.
Taipei, Taiwan
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